In the state-of-the-art, a variety of devices for weaving machines have become known, for transferring a weft material to an insertion element, for example, a gripper of a gripper weaving machine.
In the WO 2008/009332 A1, for carrying out weft selection, needle-shaped rods are provided with eyelets through which respectively the weft thread is guided and which can be brought from a resting position to an active position depending on which weft thread is selected. The selected weft thread is then as brought by a movable feeder into a transfer position for the gripper.
The EP 0 240 075 B1 describes a device with a weft thread selection device, which is equipped with a movable weft thread clamp for each weft thread. By a pivoting or swiveling motion of the weft thread clamp in a plane perpendicular to the feed direction or to the weft insertion direction, the weft thread is respectively brought into a transfer position for the gripper. The weft threads are thus deflected several times in different directions and then finally laid before the insertion element so that they cross it at an angle and thereby can be inserted into the clamping device of the insertion element. These kinds of devices are not suitable for band-shaped weft material because the deflections would result in damage to the weft bands.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,107 shows a device for delivering or feeding a weft material, which is also meant to be suitable for band-shaped weft materials. Here, the free end of the weft material is clamped into a clamp which is fixedly or rigidly attached to the weaving machine. To deliver or feed the weft material to the insertion element, a feeder is provided, which is movable in the warp direction along the edge of the fabric. The weft material is laid before the insertion element at an angle, just as for the above described devices, so that damage may occur, particularly when using weft bands containing reinforcing fibers.
The WO 2006/075961 A1 describes a device for feeding a band-shaped weft material in which the weft material is fed by a feed unit with a pair of rollers into an insertion channel, where it is clamped by a clamping device. To feed the weft material into the insertion element, the clamping device is opened and the weft material is positioned by means of the feed unit in the direction of the gripper, which grasps the band-shaped weft material directly at its front end. The weft material can thus be delivered or fed to the gripper essentially without deflection. Due to the relative movement of the band-shaped weft material between the rollers, the weft material may nonetheless be damaged.
The DE 528 345 as well as the DE 5 53 886 show devices for transferring a weft thread to a gripper weaving shuttle, which, however, require large structural space, and which are mechanically driven with complex means.